Proposal for another study on Hong Kong waterfront draws ire of advisers after their earlier suggestions were ‘discarded’
Many members of Harbourfront Commission told officials they had already spent six years studying better management of famed waterfront and their ideas had been ignored
Harbourfront advisers in Hong Kong have slammed a government proposal to study management of the city’s promenade, saying they already gave their views after a long inquiry on the same subject, and the government ignored them.
Many members of the Harbourfront Commission, which advises officials on development, told a meeting they had already spent six years studying better management of the city’s scenic 73km waterfront, concluding that a statutory authority was needed to centralise responsibilities for related matters.
The members’ anger was sparked when Rosalind Cheung Man-yee, the Development Bureau’s principal assistant secretary for the harbour, introduced a plan to use some of a HK$500 million fund earmarked for harbourfront enhancement to conduct a two-year study exploring various management models for different areas, including cooperating with district-based non-governmental groups and private companies, referencing overseas examples.
Members’ opposition to the study took officials by surprise.